Planning Portfolio Councillor Christian Dickson said the heavy rainfalls experienced of late showed just how important it is to have access to up-to-the minute information about river levels and flooded roads.

“Council has access to 71 telemetry gauges strategically placed at various locations across the region,” Cr Dickson said.

“During the recent severe wet weather, the gauges measured rainfall and rising stream heights, transmitting live data back to the Local Disaster Coordination Centre at Nambour Council Chambers via radio signal.

“Using this data, along with forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology, Council was able to assess the risks as the weather event was unfolding, advising local disaster management personnel and keeping residents informed of road closures and flash flooding.”

During such events, flood information and river levels are continually updated and made available to the community on Council’s Disaster Hub webpage.

“Recent events only reinforce the need to build flood resilient communities and Sunshine Coast Council wants to ensure residents are aware of the risks and know how and where they can go to learn more.

“Council’s recently released Development Information Report is a free online tool that provides easy access to general town planning information, including flood mapping, for individual properties,” Cr Dickson said.

“Additional flood risk information is available on Council’s website and Disaster Hub, where you can just click on the flood maps to see flooding associated with local rivers, creeks and storm tides”.

Cr Dickson said he was pleased Council was able to offer a range of options for the community to learn more about the risk of flooding in their neighbourhoods and across the region.

“Improving residents’ knowledge and understanding about local flood risks is an important aspect of developing our communities’ resilience to cope with the wild and wonderful weather events that we experience here in South East Queensland,” Cr Dickson said.